Biological And Psychological Theory Of Crime Criminology Essay

Biological And Psychological Theory Of Crime Criminology Essay In this paper I am going to discuss a biological and psychological theory of crime and to differentiate between the two perspectives, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each. The purpose of this assignment is to critically assess the strengths and weakness of various criminological theories. Crime is a phenomenon of deviant behavior, representing a high risk to people, and therefore punishable by law. In modern society, crime is considered to be a socially dangerous act, prohibited by law under the threat of punishment. Crime is the most dangerous kind of a social pathology deviating from the norm, deviant behavior. Therefore, the main backbone elements of crime are personality traits of a potential criminal and the social conditions of life. Biological theory The first attempts to explain the term crime were of a biological character. Scientists have searched for natural causes due to the tendency of some people to crime. In 1870 an Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso concluded that some people were born with criminal tendencies. In his point of view, criminal types can be identified by their shape of skull. Lombroso did not deny the fact that society could influence on the development of criminal behavior, but believed that most perpetrators are biologically degenerative. Subsequently, the idea of a biological predisposition to crime has been subjected to criticism. In the second half of the XX century attempts were made to link the criminal tendencies of a certain set of chromosomes in the genetic code. In several studies conducted in prisons, medium security, the result was obtained, showing that such a deviation was one of hundreds of prisoners, compared with one person per thousand for the general population. However, it soon emerged among researchers surmise that this result is due to small sample sizes. Studies on larger tracts of the population showed that men with abnormal chromosome no more likely to commit violent acts than the usual set. Thus, the biological approach to the explanation of crime has failed. Lombroso saw in the offender characteristics of a primitive prehistoric man and animal and developed his concept of a born criminal that is the basis for biological theories of crime in criminology. Lombrosos concept of a born criminal has a thesis about natural character and eternal existence of crime in human society. According to this concept the type of criminal rights is characterized by certain stigmata (signs or marks, supposedly distinguish it from the type of a person impregnable). The basis of this classification served as his research of about 400 Italian criminals in prisons. Subsequently, through research it was found that the methods applied by Lombroso, were not adequate, and the study group was not representative. Lombroso compared his criminals with a mixed control group consisting of Italian soldiers. Finding in 43% of criminals more than five physical anomalies at each, Lombroso concluded that this confirms his hypothesis of the existence of a congenital criminal type, which is present a genetic shift to earlier forms of animal life. Classification of a born criminal is a significant part of the whole concept of Lombroso, clearly confirming the primitive simpl icity and at the same time, anti-humanism of this concept and its political reaction. In addition, Lombroso studied 79 teenagers at age of 12 years old, placed in a correctional home. They included 40 people who had committed theft, 27 vagrants and 7 of the killers. Its position regarding the causes of juvenile crime based on the results of his study Lombroso expressed in the following conclusion that the moral anomalies, which would create a reference to an adult crime, manifested in children in a much larger scale and with the same symptoms, especially due to hereditary reasons. In this respect, education can do nothing. It cannot change those who were born with perverted instincts. This statement fully reflects Lombrosos general methodological position about the presence of a special type such as a criminal person with the congenital criminal traits and innate propensity to commit crimes. The fact that the study of juvenile delinquency has become an integral part of the work, which was presented Lombrosos main theoretical concept once again confirms that it applies to juvenile delinquency all the main provisions of the concept. It is important to mention that British researchers have concluded that the differences between criminals and criminals are practically absent, and therefore such a phenomenon as a criminal type does not exist. Psychological theory Psychological theory of crime, as well as biological one, associates with criminal inclinations of a particular type of personality. In the XX century some psychologists, based on Sigmund Freuds ideas, have suggested that a small percentage of people develop immoral, or psychopathic personality. According to Freud, most of our moral values come from the self-restraint, which we are learnt from our early childhood. Due to the special nature of the relationship with parents, some children do not produce the similar self-restraint, and, accordingly, there is the lack of basic sense of morality. Psychopaths can be described as a closed people finding a big pleasure in violence. Psychological theory of crime has, in contrast to biological one, the rational core. However, they only can explain some aspects of crime. Although a small minority of criminals do have the personal characteristics that are different from the rest of the population, but such features have not all violators of the law. It is necessary to mention that Freud thought that any actions of people are rushing out unconscious instincts or inclinations. When the controlling volitional factor is not able to suppress the natural instinct there is a conflict, spilling into a crime. Other psychological theory states that the commission of crimes is a sign of mental illness or other psychopathological disorders. Bandura in his social learning theory admits that Learning would be exceedingly laboriousà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action (Bandura, 1977). Kohlberg identified six stages of moral development, which replace one another in a strict sequence and are similar to the cognitive stages of Piaget. He stated that concern for others was not based on intrinsic respect or loyalty, but rather was based on you scratch my back, and Ill scratch yours mentality (Kohlberg, 1973). The transition from one stage to another occurs as a result of improving cognitive skills and the ability to empathize (empathy). Unlike Piaget, Kohlberg does not bind moral developments periods of the personality of a certain age. While most people reach for at least the third stage, some fo r life are morally immature. To sum up the above-stated information I want to admit that the causes of crime are analyzed by many sciences, lawyers, sociologists, psychologists, economists, and even biologists. However, none of the existing theories provide an exhaustive explanation of all types of crime.

Survey for Family Day Motivation

Motivators for Fall Family Day Attendance The purpose of this questionnaire is to identify the primary student motivators used when deciding to attend or not attend Fall Family Day. This information will be used to make improvements and further increase interest in the event. Please take the time to answer the following questions as they best apply to you. Thank you, and we appreciate your time and responses. 1. Are you familiar with Family Day? -No (Please go to question 13) -Yes (Please continue) 2. How do you learn about Family Day? Please check all that apply. -University webpage -Student newsletter -Campus banners -Event flyers Word of mouth from other students -Other (please specify) 3. Have you ever attended Family Day? -No (Please go to question 8) -Yes, I only attended this year (Please go to question 5) -Yes, I only attended in previous years. (Please go to question 6) -Yes, I attended both this year and in previous years.(Please continue) 4. Please indicate your level of s atisfaction with the Fall Family Day you attended in previous year: -Very satisfied -Moderately satisfied -Neutral -Moderately dissatisfied -Strongly dissatisfied 5. Please indicate your level of satisfaction with the Fall Family Day this year, then go to question 9 -Very satisfied Moderately satisfied -Neutral -Moderately dissatisfied -Strongly dissatisfied 6. Please indicate your level of satisfaction with the Fall Family Day you attended in previous year: -Very satisfied -Moderately satisfied -Neutral -Moderately dissatisfied -Strongly dissatisfied 7. Why did you choose not to attend this year? Please check all that apply, then go to question 9. -Not interested -Time conflict -No new events -Can't afford it -Poor reviews from others -No available hotels -Travel distance -Overcrowded -Family not able to attend -Family not interested this year -Other (please specify) 8. Why did you not attend Fall Family Day?Please check all that apply. -Not interested -Time conflict -Can't afford it -Unaware of event -Poor reviews from others -No available hotels -Travel distance -Overcrowded -Other (please specify) 9. In regards to Fall Family Day, how important would it be to have a home Virginia Tech football game that day? -Very important -Important -Neutral -Unimportant -Very unimportant 10. If Virginia Tech is playing in an away game, how important is it to have it televised on campus? -Very important -Important -Neutral -Unimportant -Very unimportant 11. How would you like to be informed of Fall Family Day? Please check all that apply. -University webpage Parent newsletter -Student newsletter -Facebook -E-mail -Other (please specify) -I'm not interested, so please do not contact me 12. What activities would you like to have at Fall Family Day? Please describe below. 13. What is your academic classification? -Freshman -Sophomore -Junior -Senior -Graduate Student -Other (please specify) 14. In what college are you enrolled? -Agriculture and Life Sciences -Architecture a nd Urban Sciences -Pamplin College of Business -Engineering -Liberal Arts and Human Sciences -Natural Resources and Environment -Science -Vet Medicine -Undecided 15. Gender -Male -Female Thank you for your time and answers!

Hume Personal Identity Essay - 1032 Words

With all of the influences within the world, it can often be difficult to determine who we are and how we became the person that we are today. Although many people believe that from the time we are born, we begin to develop our own personal identities that will differentiate us from everyone else within the world, others believe that our identities are a consequent of the influences that we encounter throughout our lives. Personal identity is the concept that you develop about yourself that evolves over the course of your life. This also includes aspects in your life that you do not have control over, such as where you grew up, the color of your skin, and your religious beliefs. According to David Hume, these influences throughout our†¦show more content†¦Some of these influences include personal struggles, race, living environment, parents and religion. As Anna Deavere Smith once stated â€Å"Identity is an assemblage of constellations†(Anna Deavere Smith. BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2017. 1 August 2017 ). Neil Gaiman’s American God’s, is a good representation of personal identity because it demonstrates how a person’s beliefs can relate to their personal identity as well. American Gods is a fantasy narrative about a man named Shadow; as the story begins Shadow is serving a six year sentence in a county prison. Due to the death of his wife Shadow is granted earl y release to attend the memorial service. Once Shadow is released from prison he takes a plane to Eagle Point, Indiana and meets a man named Wednesday. After encountering with Wednesday a series of strange events occur. Later on readers find out that Wednesday is a old god who wants Shadow to help him and the other old gods assert the newer gods. One of the central themes of this novel is faith. Gaiman demonstrated how the early immigrants arrived to the United States with their faith. It was their beliefs that influenced the United States and made it the country that it is today. Within his novel, Gaiman used the older and newer gods as a comparison to the older and newer generation. Gaiman used actual mythological gods as character roles forShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And David Hume1499 Words   |  6 Pagesand David Hume were renowned philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries that deliberated the thesis of personal identity. Identity generally is defined by three distinct appro aches: identity of mass of matter, living being, and personal identity. The two academicians’ agree on certain characteristics, but are dramatically differing on others. As one evolves over time, are they identified as the same person? Hume and Locke have written essays on their specific hypotheses about identity. The authorsRead MoreAnalysis Of David Hume s And John Locke1406 Words   |  6 PagesThe philosophy of identity generally is defined by three distinct approaches: identity of mass of matter, living being, and personal identity. In both David Hume’s and John Locke’s essays they examine the meaning of identity in three concise sub theories. The two agree on certain characteristics, but are dramatically differing on others. As one evolves over time, are they identified as the same person? Hume and Locke have written essays on their specific hypotheses about identity. The authors provideRead MoreComparing Philosophers Locke And Hume On Personal Identity13 75 Words   |  6 PagesMarch, 2016 Compare Philosophers Locke and Hume on Personal Identity Introduction The question on personal identity has been a philosophical debate for a long time. Philosophers over time have tried to argue what being a person that one is, from one day to the necessarily contains. In their endless search for philosophical bases on the same, multiple questions on the issues of life and death arise such that the correct answers to personal identity determine the changes that one person undergoesRead MoreThe Philosophical Question Of Personal Identity1683 Words   |  7 PagesPHIL 2300: Beginning Philosophy 07 December 2015 Who am I, and How Do I know Myself? How the Philosophers Explain this Question of Personal Identity The philosophical question of personal identity is double faced. In this essay I am going to explain those two aspects, which are: first, what unifies my mental events at any given time, in other words what makes my mental events all mine, and secondly, what unifies the mental events over time, in other words, what makes me the same person as yesterdayRead MoreJohn Locke’s Theory of Personal Identity Essay1692 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Locke (1632-1704) said ‘To find wherein personal identity consists, we must consider what person stands for †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Locke, in set book, p. 275). Therefore, to recapitulate Locke’s philosophy on personal identity it is necessary to clarify how he inimitably used the term ‘person’ and consequently other words, such as ‘substance’ and ‘man’, which he utilized to form his philosophical ideas. Furthermore, his work on personal identity inspired debate amongst many subsequent philosophers a nd motivatedRead MoreMax Hallmans Traversing Philosophical Boundaries3864 Words   |  16 Pagesexplores the concepts of self and unself through texts written by philosophers throughout time. Both the articles On Personal Identity by John Locke and There is No Personal Identity by David Hume illustrate the various opinions that have been expressed through history regarding how humans define themselves and how human beings as a whole group create and individuate identity. Other essays in the text which focus on conceptions of the self include Cicles by Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Nature of theRead MorePersonal Identity, By John Locke1169 Words   |  5 Pagesquestions surrounding personal identity: whether it consists in consciousness, whether we are just a soul or a mind and are we only who we can remember being? Locke claims that our personal identity is found in our identity of consciousness, yet can this be true if a person can change bodies, or one mind can be inhabited by variou s persons? In this essay, I will first be looking at Locke’s account of personal identity and how he comes to the conclusion that personal identity consists over time. FromRead MoreHumes Ideas Present In Kurt Vonneguts Harrison Bergeron444 Words   |  2 PagesKurt Vonnegut and the Myths and Symbols of Meaning, Hume suggests that during the heros return, [...] a homecoming ultimately celebrates welcome, acceptance, and confirmation of identity (Hume, 209). Although Humes article identifies the normal events that occur within the monomyth, she also explores and explains the reasons why she believes Vonnegut defies the standard structure of the monomythic quest. Hume points out that Vonneguts personal experiences primarily dictates who he is as an authorRead MoreThe Sociological Concept Of ‘Taste’ Allows Us To See How1651 Words   |  7 Pagesmannerisms directly define and structure the societal groups we inhabit. In Stewart’s book ‘Culture, Taste and Value’ (2013) he defines taste, from a common sense perspective, as a purely subjective, private matter (Stewart, 2013). However, in this essay, my aim is to inform the reader of the substantial implications ‘taste’ has as a theoretical framework for explaining societal structures and understanding everyday life. The concept can be seen as more than just a subjective entity drawing upon privateRead MoreI Can Identify A Self1145 Words   |  5 PagesI can identify a â€Å"self† that was me at birth, is me now, and will be me at death. Hume explains self as this; â€Å"we can track our changes throughout our mental life from day to day, and this gives us a sense of connectedness that we call ‘self.’† Hume argued that all there is to ‘self’ is one perception after another. Although I do not have an awareness of when I was born, my first awareness was my 6th birthday and the one person that I wanted to be there did not sh ow, needless to say I was a very

How to Identify Northern White Cedar

Northern white-cedar  is a slow growing native North American boreal tree with the scientific name Thuja occidentalis.  Arborvitae  is another name for the tree in its cultivated and commercially grown from which is  planted in yards and landscapes throughout the United States. This nursery-derived version of the white-cedar is prized for the unique flat and filigree sprays made up of tiny, scaly leaves.   Northern white-cedar  has also been called eastern white cedar and swamp-cedar. The name arborvitae meaning tree of life was given the tree and was the first North American tree to be transplanted and cultivated in Europe.   Ethnobotanical history suggests that 16th-century French explorer Jacques Cartier learned from  Native Americans how to use the trees foliage to treat scurvy. Scurvy was an insidious  disease that ravaged humans that had no ready source of  ascorbic acid or vitamin  C. A decoction of the exported trees sap was sold in Europe as a curative medicine. A record tree in Michigans Leelanau County measures 18 feet in circumference and  113 feet  (34 meters)   in height.   Where the Northern White Cedar Lives You will find that the main range of northern white-cedar extends through the southern part of the eastern half of Canada and down to an adjacent northern part of the United States. Looking at its U.S. Forest Service range map, you will see specifically that it extends west from the Gulf of St. Lawrence through central Ontario to southeastern Manitoba. Eastern white cedars southern U.S range extends through central Minnesota and Wisconsin to a narrow fringe around the southern tip of Lake Michigan and east through southern Michigan, southern New York, central Vermont and New Hampshire, and Maine.   Northern white-cedar prefers a humid climate and where the annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 46 inches.  Although it does not develop well on extremely wet or extremely dry sites, the cedar will do well on cool, moist, nutrient-rich sites and particularly on organic soils near streams or boreal swamps. The principal commercial uses of northern white-cedar are for rustic fencing and posts because of the woods resistance to rot. Other important wood products made from the species includes cabin logs, lumber, poles, and shingles. The wood fiber is also used as paper pulp and particleboard. Identification of the Northern White Cedar The leaf (if you can call it a leaf) is actually evergreen and scale-like off main shoot sprays. They are  1/4 inch long with long points. Lateral shoots are flattened, 1/8 inch long with short points. The  species is monoecious meaning that the tree has both male and female reproductive parts. Female parts are green with 4 to 6 scales and male parts are green tipped with brown scales. The fruit is a  cone, only 1/2 inch long, oblong and protrude upright on the branches. Cone scales are leathery, red-brown and rounded, with a small spine on the tip. New growth on each twig is green and scale-like and occurring in very flattened foliar sprays.The bark is fibrous, red-brown, weathering to gray. You will often see diamond-shaped bark patterns and the trees form is a  small to medium-sized tree shaped like an arrowhead or a pyramid. The Commercial Arborvitae Varieties Probably the most commonly planted Arborvitae planted in the North American landscape is the Emerald Green variety. It has great winter color and is one of the most popular hedge plants within its range and is also extensively used outside its range in the Pacific Northwest. Many arborvitae varieties can be planted as a very reliable, small to medium ornamental in American yards outside the natural range of  Thuja  occidentalis.  You  can  see more than 100 cultivated varieties used extensively in dooryards, in hedgerows, in borders and as a single large striking specimen in a large landscape. You will also see this tree along driveways, building foundations, subdivision entrances, cemeteries, and parks. White-Cedar has many cultivars, many of which are shrubs. Popular cultivars include: ‘Booth Globe’  Ã¢â‚¬ËœCompacta’‘Douglasi Pyramidalis’‘Emerald Green’ - good winter color‘Ericoides’‘Fastigiata’‘Hetz Junior’‘Hetz Midget’ - slow growing dwarf‘Hovey’‘Little Champion’ - globe shaped‘Lutea’ - yellow foliage‘Nigra’ - dark green foliage in winter, pyramidal‘Pyramidalis’ - narrow pyramidal form  Ã¢â‚¬ËœRosenthalli’‘Techny’‘Umbraculifera’ - flat-topped‘Wareana’‘Woodwardii’